Coffee And Cigarettes
by dshell99
Summary: Kevin finds out about Edd's very bad habit. Can he help him break it or are they both doomed to their lives going up in smoke? Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd and Eddy. I only own my plot.


**Author's Note: I'll get back to Another Man's Treasure soon, but sometimes things happen when I'm up late talking to Sybrann and Zookanini. This actually happened to me once, except my DAD found me. I did quit, but it's still a tough battle to** ** _stay_** **a quitter. To all my quitters, I'm with you. To my wanna be's, there's hope. To my chimney's, light one up for me! :p**

Edd leaned back and stretched. Sitting up straight, he read over his English paper _again_. It _looked_ as it was _supposed_ to. His annotations were noted, his references double checked. He hoped that it sounded like it looked because it was now 530AM and he was _done_. What he wouldn't give to have Kevin look over it. Hell, if the redhead was here, he'd probably have finished it sooner, _not the day it was due_. But he knew that because he didn't have class on Fridays, after a nap, he could drop it off at his professor's office and be as _done_ with it as he felt about it now.

Speaking of missing redheads, he trudges to the fridge and grabs an opened pack of cigarettes out of the carton on the door. Kevin had been smoking since freshman year of high school. When they started dating half way through sophomore year, he urged Kevin to quit something fierce. But he _couldn't_. He was addicted. But he did make compromises with Edd so the ravenette didn't have to deal with his _filthy, disgusting_ habit. He always smoked outside, even at his own home, had cinnamon gum or candy in his pockets because it covered up the taste better than mint gums and candies. He had his own toothbrush at Edd's, a mini bottle of Frebreeze in his backpack and the saddlebags of his motorcycle and cologne.

Edd was grateful for his efforts, and would occasionally buy him a pack or two of his favorite brand at the one place that didn't card them to ward off a _nic fit_ if he didn't have any on hand himself. Now that they were in college, Edd kept a carton for him in the fridge. Except Kevin wasn't around to smoke the damn cancer sticks because he went to school two hours away.

But over the past four years, Edd's gotten used to the smell and the taste of _death_ wrapped in tobacco paper. And the second hand high he's been getting only made him want _more_. And so when Kevin wasn't around, he'd occasionally take it. But only _occasionally._ Like when he was out having a drink with his friends or stressing out over his general education classes that he couldn't quite _get_. He was double majoring in Computer Technology and Mechanical Engineering. Explaining the complexities of computers and how they could work with the construction systems that made up mechanical engineering was a cakewalk compared to trying to find out what the author meant about some obscure phrase in The Grapes Of Wrath.

He prints off his paper as his coffee brews, stashes the paper in its proper folder, and takes his coffee and cigarettes out on to the balcony. He only needs a couple of cigarettes to ward off the stress of his latest all nighter, a coffee because _coffee_ and the eastern view soothes him as much as the nicotine and caffeine.

He's half way through his second cigarette when he hears the roar of a motorcycle in the distance. Sighing, he flicks the ash of the cigarette and holds back tears as he stares at the glowing _red_ embers of tobacco dangling between his fore and middle finger. It's been nearly a month since he's seen Kevin and he's _feeling_ it. But it's almost Spring Break and they did make plans to spend the week in Daytona Beach, so he holds on. Spring Training is kicking the redhead's ass a much as Edd's silly English class is kicking his own. They both have their battles to fight. All he has to do is hold on for a couple of more weeks.

Leaning back he closes his eyes as he lets loose a bit of smoke out of his mouth and nose.

 _"Just a couple more...,"_ Edd thinks before his morning's peace goes up in smoke.

He hears his screen door slide open, a gasp, something being dropped and then a _roar_ of his _full name._

 ** _"EDDWARD MARION VINCENT!"_**

Edd sits up and starts coughing from fright and the fact that some of the smoke has gone down his _throat_ and _not_ his windpipe. But it wasn't just fright from the booming voice that scared him, it was that the owner of that now knew his secret.

"Kevin!? *cough* What are you *coughcough* doing here?!"

"I came to surprise you this weekend. I was kinda hoping we could go to the lake or something. _What the fuck are you doing?!"_

"Whatever *cough* do you mean?," Edd asked sheepishly as he waved his arm around to clear the smoke out of the air. Then he saw the box of doughnuts from his favorite place in town on the floor between Kevin's long legs. "You brought me doughnuts?!"

Unlike Edd, Kevin had _perfect_ vision. It was one of the things that made him one of the best pitchers in the state, and why he was being scouted by the pros as a college junior. So looking down at his bespectacled boyfriend who was now trying to hid a still lit cigarette behind his back, Kevin wondered if Edd had gotten so stressed that he _snapped_.

"Give me that!," Kevin ordered as he held out his hand for the cigarette Edd was trying to hide.

Edd held up a finger as he took a long drag and snuffed the cigarette out. When he exhaled Kevin was slightly turned on, but also kinda sad. Sure, couples pick up on each others habits over time, but he couldn't believe that Edd would pick up _this one._

Taking the ashtray from him and setting it to the side, Kevin straddled the chaise lounge Edd was sitting on and looked down at the love of his life who seemed to not mind shortening their time together.

"When'd you start smoking, D?," he asked gently.

"I dunno," Edd said softly. "What year did we graduate high school?"

Kevin's eyes flew open _wide_.

"Three years ago," he whispered. "Edd, you've _seriously_ been smoking that long?"

"Yeah," Edd shrugged. "Give or take a few years."

Then a few things started to make sense. Right around junior year, Edd would come with him whenever he took a smoke break during their dates or study sessions, he stood a little closer to Kevin at parties despite the cigarette in his hand, he always had cinnamon gum and candy on hand and a mini bottle of Kevin's favorite cologne even though most people didn't think Edd needed cologne because he just smelled awesome as he was. Kevin just thought Edd was getting used to Kevin smoking, _not_ that he picked up the bad habit himself!

"Oh, my God. Baby, you've got to stop."

"How?!," Edd asked as tears filled his eyes. "You smoke! Why can't I?!"

"Oh, how the tables have turned," Kevin groaned as he ran a hand down his face.

Edd bit his lip as memories from the beginning of their relationship came rushing back. He had been chastising the redhead about smoking since he started. After they both came out, the summer before sophomore year, being the only two gay guys in school made them their own mini support group. All that time spent together made it easy to fall for each other. But Edd still would get on him about smoking. And now he was one, too.

"Ok, we'll make a deal," Kevin said.

Edd flicked remorseful, pleading blue eyes up at him.

"We _both_ quit."

"Whaaaa?," Edd asked, eyes wide, jaw in his chest. "You're gonna quit?"

Kevin nodded.

"I can't have you smoking. You mean too much to me to do that to yourself."

Then Edd grinned and Kevin dropped his head on a groan.

"I guess the tables _have_ turned," the genius said softly.

Kevin pulled Edd in his lap and between the usual smell of his detergent and shampoo, he smelled _the smoke_. It was a bit intoxicating. He could see why Edd fell into his habit the way he did. They were both drawn to _each other_ like moths to a flame, but it was time to put the flames of their Bic and Zippo lighters _out_.

Spotting the pack on the table, Kevin picks it up and looks inside.

 _Four more cigarettes left_.

"That's the last pack," Edd sighs.

"Ok," Kevin smirks. "We quit, right after we finish this pack."

And Edd's lighter sparks a brilliant blue flame one last time.


End file.
